Cleaning means



Aug.4, 1925. 1,548,317

' F. M. HILGERINK CLEANING MEANS Filed May 5, 1922 atente ug.. d, l il FRANK M. HHLGERINK, 0F UHCAGO, ILLNOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 HARRY S, HART AND i M BABES 1F. FITTS, BOTH OF CHCGO, ILLINOXS.

CILENUTG MEANS.

Application led May 5, 192%. Serial No. 558,655.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, FRANK M. Hmm

RINK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cleaning Means, of which the following is a specifica tion.

The present invention relates to cleaning means.

More particularly the present invention relates to an apparatus for carrying out the process for cleaning surfaces as described in the Durham and McGuirk Patent No. 1,118,967, Y'granted ctober 30, 1914:, this process being more particularly adapted for cleaning the surfaces and moving parts of locomotives and other railway equipment and it consists in the ejection from a suitable nozzle of a stream of air, oil and water at high velocity. An essential feature of the process is that the oil, which is carried in minute quantities by the water, shall be broken up into an extremely minute condition, probably into the condition known as colloidal, so that the stream ejected from the nozzle consists of a colloidal suspension of oil in water and air at highvelooity.

My present invention relates to an improvement in the nozzle of the apparatus for carrying out this process and has for its object to provide a nozzle in which the breaking up of the oil into the so-called colloidal condition shall be more effectively madeby the contact of the air stream with the oil and water stream, and to produce a nozzle in which the combined stream of air, oil and water shall be ejected from the nozzle at the most edective velocity and condition.

Further objects will appear as the description proceeds.

Referring to the drawings Figure 1 is a View in side elevation of one embodiment of the present invention;

j Figure 2 is a top plan view of the structure illustrated in Figure '1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the plane marked by the arrows 3-3 in Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a View in end elevation of the improved structure.

The numeral l() indicates the :main body ortion of my improved nozzle provided at its forward end with an ejeoting portion 17,

which ejecting port-ion is turned downwardly at an angle to the main body portion.

The main body portion 10 is' provided with a separate wall 11 which divides this portion into tw'o passageways 12 and 13. The rear wall of passageway 12 is provided with an aperture suitably screw-threaded which the 4oil and water mixture, under pressure, may be supplied -to the lsaid passageway. The passageway 13 has a similar aperture in its rear wall for the reception of a pipe 15 thro h which air, under pressure, may be admltted to said passageway 13. Said pipe 15 may extend through an apertured lug 16 integral with the rear portion of the nozzle whereb to provide a more or less rigid connectlon between the pipes 14: and 15 and the nozzle.

The passageways in the body portion terminate at their forward ends in a chamber 20, enclosed by the walls of the ejecting portion 17 ofthe nozzle. Said ejecting portion 17 is provided with an elongated slot 18 for the projection of the mixed stream of oill and water and air. The walls of the nozzle will preferably be flared s indicated in Figure2 to provide passageways which in crease in width transversely toward the ejecting end of the nozzle. Thus the pas` sageways within the body portion 10 are elongated transversely considering the apparatus in the position shown in Figure 3, although it will be understood that'these passageways may be of uniform cross section if desired. ,1n practice, the pressures of the air and the oil and water mixture are substantially equal. 1t will be noted that the separating wall 11 is elongated for a considerable distance, terminating at the rear end of chamber 20. By reason of the structure described a flat stream of air will communicate with a dat stream of oil and water mixture in the chamber 20 at a point adjacent the ejecting aperture of the nozzle and just prior to the ejection of the combined stream, so that the mixing of the air stream with the oil and water stream will occur with the formation of a minimum of eddy currents within the nozzle. l have found by experience that it is desirable to eject the colloidal suspension of the oil Yand water stream as quickly as possible after this colloidal suspension has been formed by lfor the reception of a pipe 14 through this result as the absence of eddy currents and the ejection of the stream immediately I., after the oil has been placed in colloidal suspension, so-called, produces a most eficient result and provides a means for car- `rylng out the process of Durham `and McGuirk patent hereinbefore mentionedto a highly eficient degree. It will be noted further that the coniiguration of my nozzle is such as to provide a forward portion including the ejecting portion 17 of a comparatively uniform Aslight :.f. cross section, that is to say, the up er wall of the nozzle is carried backwar to the point which I have marked 21 at a comparativel small angle, the angle being increased at t e point 21. The advantage of this u structure 'is that it enables the operator to insert the nozzle between the spokes of locomotive wheels and in the comparatively narrow passageways in the machinery parts, thus enabling him to direct the cleaning stream against portions of the machinery which are ordinarily more or less inaccesible. A cleaning plug 19 may be provided in the underside of the apparatus whereby.`

cleaning of the projecting means may be facilitated.

It Will be understood, of course, that if preferred lthey apparatus may be designed with a series of holes instead of the slot 18. Other modifications may be made in the illustrated embodiment of the invention Without departing from the spirit of said invention. It is intended in this patent to cover all such modifications that fall Within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claim.

I claim:

Apparatus of the class described comprising a nozzle having a flaring contour from the rear portion thereof to the eiecting portion thereof, said nozzle being provided with upper and walls continuously progressively slanting toward one another from said 'rear portion of said nozzle toward the ejecting portion of said nozzle, and anintermediate fiat wall dividing the interior of the nozzle into tv vo chambers for directing fiat arallel streams of fluid, said chambers bem enlarged in a direction normal to saic fiat streams at the rearward portion of said nozzle, said flat Wall extending to a position close to the region of ejectment of said nozzle.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 2nd day of May, 1922.

FRANK M. HILGERINK.

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